More than 10 years ago, the Labour government was warned that hundreds of small airports and ports were the "soft underbelly" of Britain's counter-terrorism efforts. A report from Lord Carlile QC into their effectiveness stated: "The risk of lethal material entering the UK on a light aircraft landing at a busy general aviation airport or remote rural airstrip is real." In 2006, these concerns were raised again. Ministers were told that at some smaller airfields, customs and immigration officers were rarely seen.